"We should speak clearly, forthrightly and call our leaders back to honesty. We should demand the truth, and refuse to be put to sleep. And those 'leaders' who play those games must also be put to shame, and out to pasture."
RC Sproul Jr on "Spin" in Every Thought Captive, Vol. 5, Issue 5

Saturday, February 11, 2006

RC Sproul Jr pulls a Jimmy Swaggart

It's a source of hot discussion in Mendota. In fact there hasn't been this must jawing in Mendota VA since Sam Johnson's moonshine still blew up back in '53.

RC managed to avoid going to trial by giving his Presbytery what they were after in the first place -- a letter of repentance. What nobody seems to be able to figure out now is why RC didn't just repent in the first place, before he got himself defrocked. It's just possible that he could have avoided ever getting defrocked. Since RC is a paedocommunionist, and the RPCGA doesn't permit paedocommunion, even if he had repented of everything that came out in the RPCGA's Declaratory Judgment he probably still would've had to leave, and probably without his RPCGA ordination. But couldn't he have at least tried to work out leaving on better terms than being defrocked? If only he had humbled himself and repented earlier.

"Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall." Proverbs 16:18

The big news now is that RC Sproul Jr has pulled a Jimmy Swaggart. Remember Jimmy? Now we're not about to infer that RC picks up hookers when he's out on the road speaking to homeschoolers and Prairie Muffins. But just that like Jimmy Swaggart, RC Sproul Jr doesn't seem to understand what being defrocked means.

Jimmy is one deviant dude. No sex, mind you, at least as long as we define "sex" with Bill Clinton's "I never had sex with that woman" definition of "sex." Jimmy likes to pick up hookers and, "Just get in the car honey, take off the panties, and we'll drive around for awhile while you entertain me."

Even though Jimmy Swaggart is now just a wrinkley old geezer he just can't seem to stop himself from wanting to help young ladies get a little fresh air. As recently as 2001 he was busted again with a whore. And he even gives them money that he get's from his ministry's financial supporters too (or at least the few he has left). What a charitable guy!

Once the pictures of Jimmy with his lady friends went public Swaggart became an international scandal. Christians everywhere were embarrassed that a preacher of the gospel, and ambassador for Christ, could bring such shame on the name of their Redeemer. Swaggart was defrocked by the Assemblies Of God. Like the RPCGA they have Presbyteries too, albeit tongue-speaking Presbyteries. The AG offered Jimmy a deal where he could step down as head of his church and allow his assistant pastor to take over. All Jimmy needed to do to comply with the AG's deal was take a year off, seek counseling to overcome being a pervert, and then hopefully be restored to his ministry by the end of the year. Jimmy said, "No deal. If I'm not back in my poooolpit by this Sunday people will wind up going to hell." What a godly, honorable, selfless man you are Jimmy Swaggart. Glooorrry! Without men of God like you there'd be a lot more people in H-E-double hockey sticks.

Instead of obeying his Presbytery and stepping down, Jimmy staged a very emotional "repentance" before an international television audience. He figured that by shedding tears before the cameras he was then fit to step right back into the pulpit. But few of his supporters agreed, and it showed in Jimmy's financial support. Jimmy was used to seeing up to $500,000 a day come in from supporters. That dried up to a trickle in no time.

RC Sproul Jr is no televangelist. He probably despises televangelists, and if he does he'd be justified in doing so. But when it comes to doing the right thing RC Sproul Jr is no better than the typical sleezeball televangelist. On January 26, 2006 RC Sproul Jr and his fellow Elders were defrocked and reduced in status to "general membership" where they would remain under RPCGA jurisdiction pending trial. On February 2, 2006 the defrocked elders of Saint Peter Presbyterian Church submitted a written letter of repentance to the RPCGA. On February 3, 2006 the RPCGA, apparently in response to the defrocked elders' letter of repentance, released the deposed elders from the general membership of the RPCGA.

Barely two days after they had been released from the RPCGA, RC Sproul Jr and his fellow defrocked ministers arranged to have themselves voted back into office. The congregation of Saint Peter used to be Presbyterian now Congregational Church put the same bums back into the pulpit that the RPCGA had just declared unfit to be Elders. Pretty amazing stuff, especially for people who claim to be Presbyterians. That must be some serious mind-altering Kool-Aid.

Thanks Doug. Gosh, I felt soooo convicted about it that I went to your own blog, www.arrogantselfrighteousprevaricatorblog.com and looked around for some things that could help me in this time of personal moral conviction. And sure enough, I found this gem:

"Anyone running such a site should take it down in repentance and tears, and anyone remotely associated with such a site should walk away from it and never look back. Scurrilous attacks (such as I have seen) do nothing but discredit those who mount them, and those who listen to them."

Truly, this brought me to tears. I was just so ashamed of myself I went and put on an old gunnysack and went and got a big bucket of ashes out of the fireplace and threw it all over myself. Gosh, I feel a whole lot better now about it. I repented! I'm forgiven!

And since I repented, and since I'm forgiven, that must mean that I can just go right on doing exactly the same thing as I was doing before! Thanks Jimmy. Thanks RC. You gospel preachers have set the example and, by golly, I'm gonna follow faithfully in your footsteps. Gloooory!

R C Senior has a resposnibility to remove his son from the conference and, if not, the sins of the son are hoisted onto the sins of the father. By allowing even his presence at any conference, it makes Sr. look foolish as well as if he is honoring his son more than the principles of the gospel

apparently you guys are just a bunch of hurting people. If RC likes to drink, so what, Jesus did too. I think that the "institutional church" needs to disappear so that the real church of Christ can flourish.

Thanks +PR for your concern for my "hurt." Now that you mention it I haven't gotten liquored up in a long time -- a real looooong time. Ah, those good old drunken college days! Maybe that's what I need! Maybe I'll have to pay a visit to Bristol soon and attend one of those infamous Saint Peter keggers. Waaahoo! Koinonia Kegger!

"Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish, and wine unto those that be of heavy hearts." Prov. 31:6

Maybe not. I've never enjoyed the hangovers and since I'm trying to avoid the hurt getting liquored up RC Jr may not be such a good idea after all.

I truly enjoy both RC SR and RC JR and their ministries. They have both inspired me and my family. I believe that some of you who are attacking them need to read Matt. 15 and try to understand, though I feel that you may not be able to.